MAYOR BLOOMBERG ANNOUNCES THE LAUNCH OF THE NEW YORK CITY CHILD CARE TAX CREDIT CAMPAIGN AS PART OF WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH CELEBRATION

New York City Commission on Women's Issues, Center for Economic Opportunity, and the Department of Consumer Affairs Launch Campaign to Increase Awareness of the New Local Child Care Tax Credit

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, at his annual Women's
History Month celebration, today announced the launch of a campaign to educate
families about the City's new Child Care Tax Credit. Spearheaded by the NYC
Commission on Women's Issues (CWI) as part of its efforts
to address the needs of working mothers, and in partnership with the Center for
Economic Opportunity (CEO) and the Department of Consumer
Affairs (DCA), the citywide campaign was created by NYC & Company
. It was unveiled today in English and Spanish on
bus shelters and phone kiosks throughout all five boroughs to increase the
number of qualifying New Yorkers who file for the Child Care Tax Credit (CCTC).
The Mayor was joined today for the Women's History Month Celebration at Emigrant
Industrial Savings Bank by first Deputy Mayor Patricia E. Harris; Deputy Mayor
for Health and Human Services Linda Gibbs; Deputy Mayor for Legal Affairs Carol
Robles-Roman; model and philanthropist, Iman; NYC Commission on Women's Issues
Chair Anne Sutherland Fuchs; DCA Commissioner Jonathan Mintz; and CEO Executive
Director Veronica White.

"All too often, paying for costly child care can be one
of the biggest obstacles to fulltime employment for women," said Mayor
Bloomberg. "Last year, our Administration worked with Governor Spitzer and the
State Assembly and Senate to enact the new Child Care Tax Credit for low income
families as part of our efforts to reduce poverty in our City. Making child care
more affordable is key to helping women and parents succeed in the workplace.
Now, we are taking that message directly to the neighborhoods that will most
benefit from the City, State and Federal tax credits available to working
families."

"Women tend to be the primary caregivers but
unfortunately for those with lower incomes, child care expenses can be a barrier
to the workplace," said CWI Chair Anne Sutherland Fuchs. "The Child Care Tax
Credit uniquely benefits working mothers. Our campaign to raise awareness of the
tax credit comes before the end of tax season, a critical time while working
mothers still have the time to file for the credit."

The Child Care Tax Credit, a key recommendation of the
Mayor's Center for Economic Opportunity, was signed into law by Governor Eliot
Spitzer on August 2, 2007. The tax credit will assist low-income families
(earning $30,000 annually or less) with the cost of child care for children
under the age of four. An estimated 49,000 New York City families qualify to
receive a city credit of up to $1,733 which can be combined with the already
existing State and Federal child care tax credits. Families who are eligible for
the credit, but have no income tax liability can still receive a refund check.
The $42 million cost of the tax credit is funded by the Mayor's Innovation Fund
which is managed by the Center for Economic Opportunity.

Campaign posters in both Spanish and English have been
placed in bus shelters and phone kiosks in low-income communities where families
will most benefit from the tax credit. The campaign will be concentrated in
neighborhoods including Bushwick, South Bronx, Bedford Stuyvesant, Jamaica,
Cambria Heights, New Brighton, Brownsville, East New York, Harlem, East Harlem,
Fordham, and East Tremont, where 60% of young children are living in families
below the federal poverty line. The expenses covered by the credit include
amounts paid out of pocket for child care and household services related to the
child care. The City credit is an additional benefit on top of the Federal and
State child care tax credits. For example, a family with a gross income of
$30,000 or less that is eligible to receive the City Child Care Tax Credit may
also be eligible to receive the Federal child care tax credit up to $2,100 and
the State child care tax credit up to $2,310 for a combined maximum credit of
$6,143.

"The Center for Economic Opportunity is excited that New
York City is now implementing a local child care tax credit designed to help
low-income families maintain employment and achieve financial stability," said
CEO Executive Director Veronica White. "Finding innovative ways to tackle
poverty has been at the center of Mayor Bloomberg's Administration and we will
evaluate the success of the tax credit and the other CEO initiatives to see what
works and what doesn't."

"We have continued to help working individuals and
families get ahead through both the Earned Income Tax Credit campaign and the
Child Care Tax Credit," said Department of Consumer Affairs Commissioner
Jonathan Mintz. "DCA will continue to encourage New Yorkers this tax season to
call 311 to see if they are eligible for these tax credits and the free tax
preparation services provided at more than 50 sites across the City, so they can
claim all they have coming to them."

New Yorkers looking for information on the Child Care
Tax Credit can call 311 or visit www.nyc.gov
where they can also find information on free or very low cost tax preparation
sites that can assist them in filing for the Child Care Tax Credit or the Earned
Income Tax Credit if they qualify. Partners in the New York City EITC Coalition
run 50 Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites citywide. The NYC Commission
on Women's Issues will continue to work with DCA and CEO to enhance and grow the
campaign over the next year in an effort to increase the number of eligible
families filing for the Child Care Tax Credit.